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Located in the beautiful island of Pearl Jumeirah, the 50,000-sq-m Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai is matchless with its private beach and gardens, and its mix of different room categories, 45 per cent of which are suites and villas. Operational since December 20th 2016, it is Dubai’s best kept secret. After all, the hotel advises you to “tell only your best friends” about it.

The heart of the resort is the hotel with 132 villas, suites and guestrooms. There are also 15 villas on the beach side, right after the beach club, which is at the heart of the Nikki Beach Club brand. “We are now keen to prepare for the launch of our residences. This is the first time in the world that we will have Nikki Beach-branded residences. And this wonderful and pristine 500-m private beach brings all of this together,” says Alex Schneider, the general manager.

“The most premium category key, equivalent of a royal suite, is called the Ultimate Villa. It has more than 400 sq m of living space, its private carpark, a private entrance and a huge private pool. Usually, royal suites and presidential suites are very heavy in design and stately. Our most premium villa is spacious, and designed in a minimalistic style. Here, we offer a bright and light feel, with a spunky touch of teal, which is the common denominator across the hotel’s private and public spaces.”

Schneider adds, “I’ve never seen a hotel hitting the market like this one and this is now my sixth hotel opening. In February this year, the hotel was running at 80 per cent occupancy, which, for February, is quite good.”

The resort with its beach club opened on December 20, 2016. “We started with a very leisure-driven approach but we see a lot of corporate and Mice business seeping in due to our location near the World Trade Centre and DIFC. This hotel exemplifies the ‘bleisure’ concept. We have a lot of guests who come to Dubai for business but they extend their stay over the weekend. The location, being a ten-minute drive from Downtown Dubai, and yet cut away in a secluded corner, is just the best destination for a bleisure trip.”

According to the German national, Pearl Jumeirah will be a mini Hamptoms when completely ready. “It is going to be one of the most luxury, intimate micro-destinations in Dubai. All the villa plots have been sold freehold and we will probably be the only commercial outfit here. That is to say, there will not be a huge mall development right in our backyard.”

NIKKI PHILOSOPHY

“One thing we are convinced about in Nikki Beach is that you should always give choice, because that is the ultimate luxury in life,” says Schneider. “And you can see this in the hotel, from the tranquillity in the lobby to the social activity at Nikki Beach, the beach club. So, guests can really choose what they’d like to do.”

The general manager explains a bit further, “Nikki Beach as a brand is much loved by affluent clients around the world – we cannot impress them. There is nothing we can do that they cannot do on their own. The best thing that we can do in this context is give them a choice of options that they can choose from, according to the mood they are in. To get what you want, in that moment, that is the true luxury.

“This is completely the opposite of over themed hotels, which are either completely tranquil, absolute detox or hardcore party place.

“The other thing we strongly believe in – never over manipulate a good thing. For me, a ripe piece of fruit or vegetable, untouched, is sometimes the nicest thing you can eat. Even with hotels, keep them simple and clean, and people love them. Even in food, this is our policy.”

SOURCE MARKETS

“It is really important for us to maintain the cosmopolitan vibe. We don’t want to lean too much on any specific source market, we don’t want to be known as the German hotel or the Saudi hotel.

“Gone are the days when corporates used to choose hotels based on quality of food, location or facilities. These days companies are very conscious of brand affiliations, which goes both directions. Nothing extreme is good. Since we offer an array of choices, brands can, and do, use us as a blank canvas. We always say ‘we are all about celebrations of life’. We are emotional, organic and easily relatable brand - and we have a purpose.”

The GCC is important for Nikki Beach. Dubai has the largest beach club out of its 13 beach properties around the world, the largest hotel, and also the debut of the brand’s residences. Any plans of further expansion, are firmly under wraps for now, but the five-star beachfront resort does aim to expand itself in the local and the GCC market. Nikki Beach Resort & Spa will be working with a number luxury GCC and international tour operators to attract tourists worldwide.

By Rashi Sen

Nikki Beach

Alex Schneider

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